1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to rolls of the type used in roller conveyors and, more particularly, to a roll assembly having a replaceable roll covering.
2. Discussion
As is known, roller conveyors are used in material handling systems for moving objects from one location to another. Conventional roller conveyors include a series of rolls that are rotatably supported from a rigid frame structure. Typically, the rolls have an elongated cylindrical body segment which is mounted between a pair of frame rails. The cylindrical body segment of the roll can be journalled on a support shaft extending between the frame rails or, in the alternative, can have integral end shafts that are supported in anti-friction bearings mounted in the frame rails. Regardless of the roll type, it is also known to provide a layer of a cover material (i.e., rubber, urethane, etc.) on the outer surface of the cylindrical body segment. The cover layer functions to minimize potential damage to the objects caused by contact with the rolls while concurrently assisting in the frictional movement of the objects on the rolls. Irrespective of the type of material used for the cover layer, its outermost contact surface will ultimately wear and thus necessitate replacement of the roll from the conveyor. Once the roll is removed from the conveyor it is either discarded or refurbished by stripping the old cover layer and subsequently bonding a new cover layer on the roll. As is obvious, this refurbishing process is both labor intensive and expensive.
In an effort to minimize the costs associated with replacing and/or repairing worn-out rolls, it has previously been proposed to install a replaceable cover strip on the body segment of the roll. Typically, hook and loop materials, such as Velcro.RTM., and other analogous latch-type fastener products, have been used to releasably secure the cover strip to the body segment of the roll. In such arrangements, a mounting strip is permanently secured to the outer surface of the roll's body segment and is adapted to receive the replaceable cover strip to which the cover layer is bonded. However, these releasable latch-type mounting arrangements have proven to have limited functional utility. In particular, since the contact interface defined between the interdigitated latching projections on the mounting strip and the cover strip is irregular and of low density, the weight of the objects supported on the rolls may tend to cause undesirable radial and/or circumferential deformation of the cover strip. Thus, a need exists to develop an improved roll covering, and a method for installing and replacing the roll covering on a conveyor roll, which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.